Deception
by Chibi Mirai Gogeta
Summary: Sequel to Captive Souls and Soul's Requiem. Two years following the near-annihilation of Earth, a new force arrives from space for revenge. In the midst of an internal threat, the people of Earth that the fighters swore to protect begin to question their motives during this latest trial. Will they find the long-sought peace in order to survive yet another potential cataclysm?
1. A Familiar Threat

_Hello everyone and Happy New Year! First off, let me apologize for keeping everyone waiting with bated breath for the sequel of Captive Souls/Soul's Requiem. Life kind of gets in the way at times and makes it difficult to find the time to pull together all of the components of a story._

_In any event, for those of you who never read either prequel mentioned, please do so before reading this one because there will be events which might be confusing and make you wonder what is going on._

_Otherwise, I welcome everyone to yet story that will be filled with drama, suspense, romance and new antagonists who will only contemplate the lives of our fellow survivors._

_~Chibi Mirai Gogeta_

**Deception**

**Prologue**

The world was slowly returning to normalcy two years after Raizen nearly razed the planet for the Dragon Balls in order to obtain his wish. Yet, it was for naught for Goku and Chi-chi worked together to defeat the evil overlord and restore those who perished back to life.

The survivors banded together in order to rebuild and ensure that their lives would return to the way it was despite the hardships ahead. Those who ensured Earth's safety remained in the ruins of the city they called Hope since it was in their best interests to hold onto it during the darkest of times. Their survival would bring forth the rebirth of the planet from the ashes that surrounded them and provide for a brighter future.

Yet, this future sought would not be without any repercussions of the past.

* * *

Above Earth's atmosphere, a violet, circular sphere approaches from an unknown destination. It is the size of a ten story building and seems almost smooth like a mirror. Moments later, it begins to glow red; gravity pulling it downward almost though it were fated to be captured by the very world it overlooked.

The object continues to fall helplessly towards the ground in a similar fashion a meteor would. Yet, it began to curve in midair, almost though something or rather someone was controlling such an object. Moments later, it crashed into the ground and its force unleashed a thundering roar; knocking trees down upon impact. The earth trembled from such a volatile force that was far from natural.

For a moment, silence seemed to dominate the very area. A mechanical whirl of gadgets broke the tranquility and a door appeared from the side of the once flawless sphere that now had scuffle marks and other blemishes that tarnished its surface. From the circular doorway stood a humanoid-type person with long raven hair and was remarkably feminine in stature. Her pale, white skin shone in the moonlight and a long, black dress with white alien markings adorns the sides of the outfit in a foreboding manner.

"It has been years since my partner-to-be vanished," the woman spoke out loud in utmost sorrow in her voice. "I was hoping for a swift return when he found this planet three years ago."

"Perhaps he had fallen in battle," a man spoke behind her. He stood within the shadows, his face obscured by a claret mask that bore no resemblance of any life form and seemed almost hallow.

"Raizen was the most powerful man in the universe, at least behind me," the woman spoke with a boastful chuckle. "If he truly fell, then I will see to it that whoever happens to be responsible pays with their life."

"I will see to it that they are brought to your feet, Queen Malvolia," the soldier swore valiantly.

The woman only chuckled in utmost satisfaction. The very planet that Raizen had vanished on would be her next conquest and in time, she would have brought the ones who committed such a treason to their knees.

"Send out the scouts, I want a full analysis of this planet before any action is taken. Until I know what happened to him, I will not rest until I have an answer for his disappearance." Malvolia explained.

An ill-wind had fallen upon the planet and time will tell of its fate.

_**To Be Continued…**_


	2. Protectors of Hope

**Deception**

**Chapter 1**

Within the dead of night, a frightened scream rang out from the darkness. It held much distress and sadness. A light turned on and moments later, the feminine figure that happened to be seen trembling moments earlier was wrapped in strong, muscular arms. These nights were always the most difficult ones to deal with; survivors reflecting upon the torment of the past despite it happening years prior.

"Are you alright Chi-chi?" Goku questioned. He had concern written upon his face and gently rubbed his wife's back. Tears soaked his shirt when she buried her face into his chest in an attempt to drown out the sound of her pain.

"I… I had a nightmare…" Chi-chi choked out after a moment. While she was usually strong, she still had her insecurities even in these turbulent times.

"Again? That's the fifth time this week…" Goku felt the fear radiating from her almost though he was the one invoking these emotions. Ever since they renewed their vows six months earlier, she rarely left his side; especially when a new threat descended upon the community of survivors who lived within the shambles of the city. Bandits came from the outskirts of the community and began tormenting the people; forcing new mandates into place to protect the citizens from the threat that was inflicted upon the population.

"I… I saw Goten murdered by them and they were laughing cruelly at us for not saving him," Chi-chi whimpered. While this dream wasn't real, Goku knew the odds they faced. He was powerful thanks to his father's alien heritage and it was doubtful that unless it was a force like Raizen, the child wouldn't be felled by such a threat that easily.

"It was only a dream," Goku consoled his wife.

"It seemed so real though," Chi-chi looked at him with sadness in her eyes. "What if they do kill him? He's…"

"It'll never happen," Goku reassured again; his tail encircling her waist almost though it were there to bring a sense of security. Leaning against her husband, she listened to him hum a song that soothed her frayed nerves. The hushed tones lulled her back into the comforts of sleep. The Earth-raised Saiya-jin held her against his form and closed his eyes. _'I wish things were back to how they were before all of this, but for the good of Earth, we can't rely on the dragon balls to undo everything… even Shenron has his limits…'_

* * *

The citizens emerged from their homes the minute the sun rose high enough to provide light for them to see. It did not mean that they were safe, but their chances of survival were significantly better compared to fighting in the darkness. That was when they would usually strike out of nowhere without warning. Sometimes, they would abduct citizens in order to serve an unnamed leader while other times, they would steal what they were able to gather and kill in cold blood. It always differed and it had been taking its toll on the people.

"Remember to stay with your group," one of the men stated. "While our protectors survey the area, they cannot get to all of us at once."

In the months following Raizen's defeat, the citizens who learned of the fighters who saved the world time and time again were called 'protectors' by the people. There were some people who envied their abilities and desired to become like them. With some encouragement, Gohan ended up opening a school to teach those who were interested the basic concepts of fighting and self-defense. While they were not as strong to do everything, those who were taught even the basics were better off. To improve their skills, they became the hunters of the group and used what skills they were taught as a test. If they were attacked, they could easily turn the tide and use that momentum to their advantage.

"The hunters will head off to the forests," a woman stated.

"Just be careful Jean," another man replied. "While you had grown stronger, you are still learning the basic concepts our sensei had imparted."

"I know that Joel," Jean stated. "I'll be back soon."

The groups separated with one heading to the fields and the other heading to the forests. Above the ones heading to the woods, Chi-chi and Goku flew to keep an eye on their progress. Gohan and Videl flew with the ones that were heading towards the gardens.

"Gohan," Videl looked over at her fiancé. Ever since their reunion, she seemed more devoted in her training. Anytime that they had after their daily ritual was spent honing her skills.

"What is it Videl?" Gohan heard the concern in her voice. While he did not have the same ability to sense her emotions, he still had a strong enough relationship to discern what she needed.

"I was just wondering," Videl stammered somewhat. "You know we're going to be married soon right?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Gohan stopped flying and looked over at her with confusion.

"Well, I'm afraid of raising a child in this kind of world we live in." Videl bit her lip. The hybrid remembered their reunion and how she cried in his arms when they were wished back to life. He proposed to her a year after her father gave his blessings from his death bed. She had been devastated by the news when he suddenly fell ill and died months later from an epidemic that stuck the community hard during that time. Despite his lies, the citizens still took word of his death extremely hard and mourned for his loss for a month.

"Are you kidding?" Gohan chuckled. "If it had been two years ago, I'd be concerned with Raizen, but this is nothing."

"Still, we shouldn't discount the idea of them taking our child away from us and raising it as one of their own," Videl explained. Her insecurities reminded him of how his mother nitpicked at their motivation to fight years ago. The roles seemed to reverse themselves when she asked to be trained to become stronger to fight against her husband, who had been brainwashed and serving Raizen at that time.

"It'll be fine, no one will take our child away from us as long as I live," Gohan reassured. His hand gently brushed some of her shoulder-length hair away from her face. She placed her hand over his and looked lovingly at him.

"I… I'm sorry; I guess I was a bit paranoid…" Videl's face reddened. Gohan chuckled at how she had been acting and he couldn't imagine his life without her.

"It's fine," Gohan smiled and moved closer to her. Their breathing lingered against each other's skin as they drew closer to kiss; however, a moment later, a scream broke such an intimate moment. "What?"

"Gohan! Look!" Videl exclaimed with fear in her eyes. The hybrid turned to see the bandits grabbing the women in the group. Anger gripped Gohan and he powered up and launched himself towards the men who were attempting to abduct the women. They always came on motorcycles or cars in order to stuff those they abduct into the trunk or sidecars. Videl followed behind to attempt to corral those who were in danger of being taken away.

"That's enough!" Gohan growled.

"You protectors are a joke," the leader of the bandits' squad stated.

"How do you know…?" Videl was taken back at what the bandits said. None of the citizens stated outside whom the fighters were affiliated as unless there happened to be a traitor amidst their group. Such a thing wouldn't pass by any of them and Gohan seemed to carry the same sentiments.

"We've known for a while now," another bandit replied. "Besides, it's becoming easier to predict which protectors are with the groups."

"Let them go!" Gohan demanded.

"On one condition," the leader replied. "We want an acre of your crops, preferably undamaged."

"Fine," Gohan turned with anger burning in his eyes. He knew the risks of bartering with these criminals and wish he had the same strength he used to fighting them. The effects of eating lower amounts of food had weakened all of the Saiya-jins to a level where they had to conserve their fighting strength. The hybrid offering even an acre of their merger crops would impact their performance somewhat, but he didn't want to lose any of the citizens to the bandits. Once within their camp, it's not likely they would be able to escape since they would sooner kill those who tried such an act. Exchanging the food, the women were released.

"A pleasure doing business," the bandit leader laughed coldly. They began pulling the crops from the ground and placed them into the boxes within their vehicles. Once they had what they came for, they rode off with lecherous grins on their faces.

"Gohan, we could have fought them all off!" Videl angrily stated.

"They could have killed them before we had a chance to rescue them," Gohan countered. He knew that his power wasn't as high as he would have preferred, but right now, the safety of the citizens was his primary concern.

"Still, you gave away an acre of food," Videl pointed out the obvious. "They will only continue to take unless you teach them a lesson."

"I would, but if I hurt one of them severely, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself," Gohan reflected back to the last time they were on patrol and used too much force. He was sure he nearly decapitated the man with a single blow since he could barely gage the use of strength like he used to.

"Gohan, your father's not going to be happy about this," Videl stated.

"I know, but the safety of the people's more important," Gohan reassured. "If it means cutting the rations a bit more, then so be it."

Videl looked at the weeping women, some with family members with relief on their faces. The anger the human had at her fiancé reminded her that there were others who had families. She then leaned against him with guilt. It reminded her of when she lost her father and she felt like she had no one else to turn to, but her future husband's family took her in and Goku became a surrogate father to her in her times of need.

"I'm sorry… I forgot that some of them lost a lot already," Videl apologized. Seeing the relief on their faces reminded her of her own loss. A life seemed more important and less trivial than losing the food stores and she realized that everyone would had been worse off with fewer hands to sustain the crops.

"It's alright, look," Videl peered up at Gohan, "the best thing we can do is try to ensure that we stay together."

"Mmm…" Videl nodded and pressed herself against him a little closer.

* * *

In the forests, Goku and Chi-chi watched over the hunters and made sure they were not attacked. They patrolled the forests and watched their teamwork taking down any animal they come across. Some had traps that they checked and found their bounty while others were disappointed at other creatures finding their kills or nothing in them.

'_Chi-chi,'_ Goku telepathically communicated.

'_What is it?'_ Chi-chi responded.

'_There's less animals in the forest again,'_ There was concern in the tone of voice that made her frown. She knew her husband could not only sense the smallest forms of life; his heightened sense of smell was another indication that he used to gage the animal population within the forests.

'_The bandits must be behind this,'_ Chi-chi summarized. _'We should head to another area and see if we have better luck.'_

Over the six months since the bandits came into their lives, they had to find other forests to hunt in so the animal population had a chance to recover. Overhunting was not an option and they had to go days, sometimes weeks to find a better population. When they do, they learn the bandits have also migrated in the same area.

'_Maybe we should head to the place without the others knowing our plans,'_ Goku stated.

'_Goku, we promised that we would tell them where we find our food,'_ Chi-chi looked perplexed.

'_I… I'm not sure I can trust them to keep it a secret,'_ Goku confessed. _'If you hadn't noticed, every place we go, the bandits seem to follow. It's like they can sense our presence.'_

'_You might be right,'_ Chi-chi replied. The last of the hunters had gathered what they could and started heading to the clearing to assess their bounties. The two protectors followed suit and made sure that they were not flanked from behind.

* * *

Within the center of the city, food was divided amongst the citizens. It was a weekly ritual that they took part in and they were given a fixed amount of rations to feed their families. Some people attempted to barter for more food for services, but there were hardly any exceptions to the rules that were put into place. Chi-chi stood within these lines and knew she wouldn't get enough for their family to survive for a week under normal circumstances. She had five mouths to feed, including her own.

By the time she reached the front of the line, she was handed a small basket of food like the others before her. It had a small merger of fruits, vegetables, meat and grains. There were times that other things like desserts were placed in the basket, but such a commodity was becoming a rare and unnecessary thing to have. She walked further down the line and noticed that the sanitary supplies that they were usually given were in smaller bundles than the last time.

Bulma, who managed this operation, noted some time ago that these things were growing harder to acquire and while she managed to build a small factory to make these items, there were issues obtaining the materials to produce these things. Vegeta, who led a group of his own with Trunks and Goten, had problems in the past few runs ranging from stolen tools to irritated workers. It was surprising that the Saiya-jin prince had the patience to work with them.

Picking up the small package, she noted that the small bottle of shampoo and bar of soap would have to suffice for the time being. Having procured the necessary items, she started to carry her items home when a man stopped her.

"Hey, mind if I have some of your items?" the large burly man questioned. He was a tall brunette who stood slightly taller than her husband.

"I'm sorry, but I can't give you anything," Chi-chi answered and attempted to walk past, but he blocked his way.

"I was asking nicely," the man warned with a hint of anger in his voice.

"I really can't give you anything," Chi-chi attempted to reason with him, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears. He lunged at the female and she quickly side stepped out of the way. He attempted to grab her, but she broke out into a run. Her feet hit the uneven pavement with him chasing after her. Eventually, he stopped pursing her and returned to where the line ended to try the same tactic. Moments later, she felt her husband appear at her side and noticed the anger on his face.

"Are you alright?" Goku questioned. He seemed like he was trying to bide his frustration and she could feel it within the close proximity they were standing. While he was usually understanding to people at a fault, there were times he would unconsciously slip into the habits he had learned being a soldier under Raizen.

"Goku, I'm fine," Chi-chi attempted to calm him down. She focused on the bond between them and attempted to soothe him with her love and calmness. It took several minutes for the anger to be quelled, but when he finally calmed down, he looked guiltily at her. "It's alright…"

"I... how can you…?" Goku attempted to explain himself. He had to resort to telepathy after he felt his throat tighten. _'I wanted to kill him for trying to hurt you.'_

'_Goku, you know that I can handle myself,'_ Chi-chi replied in the same manner. People still respected her and called her the Mysterious Nightingale, but there were those who were dead during the lowest point and had no idea what contributions she brought to the group. Then there were those who knew, but tried to exploit her kindness anyway. _'Besides, I can always get more food…'_

'_That's not what I was worried about,'_ Goku pulled her into his arms. He took in her natural scent and closed his eyes. She was confused, but remained quiet while she felt the remnants of his aggressive state melt away.

"Let's go home," Chi-chi whispered softly. Her husband nodded and in seconds, they vanished from the city plaza.

* * *

There was a forum the next afternoon in the city square that invited all of those who had opinions to come and speak of their problems. The day was humid and people crammed underneath the shade of the tarp draped between two decrepit walls of where a building once stood within the place renamed Hope.

A middle-aged man walked on the stage. He was tall and thin with salt and pepper hair and wore a patchwork business suit in a multitude of colors; black being the base. He had a graying beard on his face that grew down to his chest and wore dark framed glasses.

"I had called this meeting to discuss the situations regarding the recent attacks on the citizens," the leader known as Ryan stated. "During the last few weeks, we had more people abducted in exchange for food and other necessities. Our current situation is dire and at this rate, we will not have enough for the winter if we continue to get terrorized by this threat."

"Why don't the protectors just destroy them?" one citizen stated. "They did the same when they hunted down Raizen's men!"

Other voices murmured in agreement. The protectors themselves were in the audience and noted that the citizens seemed agitated about the dilemma on their hands. It was Chi-chi who walked through the crowd to address their concerns. She and the others who protected the citizens were in agreement of what they thought of the situation. Upon reaching the front, she turned and looked at everyone that gathered. Their faces that were once filled with happiness seemed exhausted and their eyes held grief from the trials and tribulations they were forced to endure.

"While you all propose an idea to get rid of the bandits, it would only divide us further," Chi-chi started. She knew she couldn't reason with all of them, but she could at least try to let their voices be heard. "We had family members and friends that were taken harshly from us for their own benefits. If we tried to rescue them, there's a chance they could be murdered out of cold blood or even caught in the crossfire."

"Yeah right and you protectors aren't doing your job making sure no one else is abducted," another spoke up. "My daughter has nightmares when she thinks back to when my wife was taken away by those ruthless bastards and how my son was killed trying to protect her! If you really cared about keeping us safe, you could have tried to save them!"

"We have!" Chi-chi cried out; the pain on her face clear for everyone to see. "There's not many of us and I know how much it hurts to lose loved ones. We all been through this many times, but we need to do what we can to stay together or else we will destroy ourselves from within."

The crowd was restless and others shouted their anger at her. Goku, by this point, felt the intense amount of grief from his wife and pushed aside people. When he reached her, he was feeling anger towards the ones who just didn't seem to understand their struggles and sorrow for his wife having to deal with the backlash from those who seemed too harsh towards the ones that protected them from harm. They were sacrificing their livelihoods to ensure that they survived and could have left Hope over a year ago, but they stayed to help them rebuild and reclaim what they had lost.

'_Why are they so angry?'_ Chi-chi thought. The Earth-raised Saiya-jin picked up her thoughts and put his hands on her shoulders. He saw that she was on the verge of tears at this point.

"_**ENOUGH!"**_ Goku roared over the voices that seemed to be shouting angrily at one another. They quieted and their attention fell upon him. He didn't like how they stared with judging eyes, but he wouldn't allow them to continue harassing his wife. "We offer protection and with only a few of us, we cannot be with everyone at all times. We have to make difficult decisions on whether or not it is worth risking going hungry over the lives of every man, woman and child. We have done everything in our power to ensure the best outcome and for you all to judge us like we should be able to protect every single life here is not possible.

"None of us are gods and we shouldn't be put up so high on your pedestal," the Earth-raised Saiya-jin continued his tirade. "We make mistakes, we bleed and we too can die just like the rest of you. If you truly think like we can do everything, well, you should imagine how we feel when we are judged harshly for what we are unable to do. Every night, my sons and I go hungry just to ensure that you all have enough food to last. We don't ask for more and neither does Vegeta's family. I may have been raised here, but I wasn't born on this planet. Some of us have alien blood in our veins, but that doesn't make us anything like Raizen. We choose to protect this planet because we have families just like the rest of you."

Not bothering to wait for anyone to say anything, Goku held his wife's hand and walked back away from the crowd with her in tow. Silence seemed to dominate the atmosphere and Chi-chi could see her husband's hair flicker blonde every few seconds. He rarely transformed as often like he used to, but she knew he was attempting to keep himself from lashing out at anyone and anything around him.

'_We should just run away,'_ Chi-chi telepathically commented. She would have said something, but she was afraid to break the deafening silence around them.

'_No, they need to stop being so selfish,'_ Goku replied moments later. Even the mental voice seemed like it held much resentment towards the people they were attempting to feed. They had made numerous sacrifices over the past two years to ensure their survival and they were judging them in such a way it made the Earth-raised Saiya-jin wonder if humanity was worth even saving.

* * *

Back in the city square, Ryan recovered from the verbal assault that had taken place moments ago and returned to the podium to continue the meeting. Gohan, who had watched his father storm off with his mother, would have left too if they had been yelling at Videl. The female in question was beside herself and irritated that they were harassing her future mother-in-law in such a cold and uncaring way, but held her tongue.

"Our next topic on the agenda is sanitary items," Ryan stated. "As you all know, we are running low on our current stock and need to plant more vegetables and raise more livestock."

"Easy for you to say," a farmer spoke up. "Our animals are dealing with hay shortages due to the drought."

"We have had problems growing wheat," another farmer stated. "Our water supplies are dwindling fast."

Others spoke their problems and added their own two cents.

"We are aware of the issue and will build more cisterns to collect rain water," Ryan confirmed. "For the time being, we will need to rely on importing water from nearby water sources until the drought breaks. Moving on, we have one final topic on the list that deals with a spy among us."

It wasn't a secret that there were talks about a traitor amongst the group. The other citizens had raised their concerns as well.

"While it isn't proven who is behind this rumor, let alone who is the traitor or traitors, anyone found communicating to the bandits under any circumstances will be exiled along with their families," Ryan stated. "Furthermore, if the traitor or any family members are found trespassing, they will immediately shot and killed on sight."

The laws of the city seemed harsh, but their survival all depended on these rules in order to rebuild and regain some sense of normalcy. There were people in the past that willingly left Hope to start lives elsewhere and never returned.

"Does anyone have anything to add?" Ryan questioned.

"I have a valid concern about medicine," a doctor spoke up. "Lately, there are fewer medicinal herbs in this area and we need samples in order to start growing more in our labs."

"Hm, a valid point," Ryan stroked his beard. "Perhaps the Mysterious Nightingale could hunt these along with her husband. Are there any other problems that need to be addressed?"

"I have one," a familiar blonde-haired woman stated. She held her daughter in her arms while she looked up at Ryan. "We should build a wall around the city to protect the citizens."

"Why should we build a wall?" Ryan questioned.

"A few nights ago, I heard bandits rummaging outside of my house," Cassie explained. "I think a wall will prevent them from trying to come close to our homes since most of us don't have suitable places to live."

"Hope is supposed to be an open city, encasing it behind a wall will make it seem uninviting and imprisoned," Ryan dismissed Cassie's proposal. "In any event, we could use some protectors to start patrolling the streets at night if this is a concern that the other citizens have."

Gohan looked amongst the group. They would have to have a meeting of who among them would be willing to go through the trouble of pulling all-nighters again.

* * *

Around dusk, most of the protectors met near the outskirts of the city. They decided to meet away from all prying eyes and ears in order to discuss nightly patrols and to tell Chi-chi about the medicinal herbs the doctors requested.

"I'll patrol at nights," Chi-chi volunteered.

"What about the herbs?" Goku questioned.

"We can take turns on patrolling the city and searching for the medicinal herbs," Chi-chi rationalized. "Believe it or not, there are some that I see that no one else notices."

Ever since the liberation of the city, Chi-chi had found a book on herbs and began to learn how to identify them, what they do and how they can be applied. Goku had noticed the texture of the food she prepared had changed slightly and while it did not entirely sate his hunger, it staved off any effects that starvation that the Saiya-jins would have suffered otherwise.

"It would also give us time to find food," Chi-chi added. "The rations we are getting on a daily basis are growing thinner and it hurts seeing Goten looking at me sadly when the food is gone."

Speaking of which, he and Trunks were not among the rest of the protectors. They had opted to help Bulma at her lab. They insisted that grown-up conversations were "boring" to them and decided to ensure that the former heiress had assistance with her latest project to improve the irrigation system.

"Food isn't my concern," Piccolo commented. "Then again, the lack of water does raise a valid point on ensuring that everyone has it to use at their convenience."

"We could try to find other water resources," Gohan explained.

"Sounds like a valid plan, but where do we look?" Krillin questioned.

"Where there's a forest, there's usually water baldy," Vegeta rationalized. The Saiya-jin prince himself had just arrived and landed on the ground.

"What took you so long?" Krillin asked.

"In case inquiring minds would like to know, I was helping the woman move a large object," Vegeta dismissingly answered. "She should have had the boys move it."

"Alright, so Chi-chi and Son are planning to patrol in the evenings," Piccolo summarized everything the Saiya-jin prince missed out on. "And Chi-chi knows where to find the medicinal herbs apparently, so that covers two of the problems on our list."

"The only other problem is the traitor," Gohan stated.

"Who would betray our city like this?" Videl looked among the warriors around them.

"We know whoever is betraying the city is doing it for a good reason," Yamcha spoke up. The former desert bandit had silently listened among the others for several minutes without saying anything.

"What could they offer?" Eighteen inquired. "Unless they're offering the traitor anything good, I'm sure he's doing it because he or she's being blackmailed or something."

"Blackmailed?" Goku had no idea what it meant and no one dismissed the theory. It seemed likely that whoever the traitor happens to be might be dealing with a deep dark secret, a mysterious lover or perhaps a family held captive.

The stars were beginning to appear in the sky by this point; the sun far beyond the horizon and its brilliant light had faded. Crickets were singing their songs around them and the air was growing cooler.

"We should go ahead and get started on the patrol," Chi-chi looked over at her husband under the waning moon's light. The Earth-raised Saiya-jin nodded and the protectors silently adjourned from their meeting spot and went their separate ways.

* * *

Walking through the town at night seemed surreal. The lights in all of the windows were off or covered by thick drapes due to the heavily enforced curfew. If one were to walk through the pitch black city, one might believe it to have been abandoned since it was deafening silent, but Goku could hear the faint breathing of every person in hiding or the very whispers or hushed lullabies sung to every parent's child.

To Chi-chi, it felt similar to when she would search for food in the darkness of night and avoiding detection, but now, she was searching for dangerous bandits who threaten the livelihood of the people they swore to protect. For several hours, they noticed stray animals, overturned trashcans and random objects or the like, but they did not see a single bandit.

By dawn, Goku carried Chi-chi since the latter of the two had fallen asleep. Her body was draped behind him; her legs hiked up at his sides and her arms wrapped around his shoulder. He forced himself to walk all the way back to their home since he did not wish to awaken her by flying or teleporting. The sun slowly rose over the eastern horizon and by the time he crossed the threshold with his wife, he saw the sunlight pouring through the open door and heard the people emerging from their homes.

Quietly, he carried her off to their room and set her down on the bed gently; removing her shoes and covering her up. He removed his own boots and pulled her into his arms; his tail wrapping securely around her thigh as a sign of love. He leaned over and kissed her gently on the cheek.

"Good morning Chi," Goku whispered and moments later, he fell asleep.

_**To Be Continued…**_


	3. Unseen Tension

**Deception**

**Chapter 2**

A bundle of herbs sat within a basket that Chi-chi carried while she ventured through the woods during the late afternoon by herself. Her husband was currently training the villagers in the art of sensing hostile energy in order to improve their reflexes. She had found a number of plants already and was about to leave when she heard a faint trickling of water. The very forest itself was quiet and there were hardly any animals around. Soon, she found a creek and noticed fish directly beneath the surface.

While there were mandates about finding food, Chi-chi knew that what she finds has to be reported, but she was reminded of the looks her youngest son gave her. Would it be a sin to take catch fish without notifying the mayor of where she found the food? The anger on her husband's face during the city's forum the previous day reminded her that his hunger spoke louder volumes than the citizens and the restrictions were causing more harm than good for her family.

'_No, they don't need to know everything about what I choose to do,'_ Chi-chi reasoned. She moved the herbs and pulled out some old newspaper to make room for the fish she was going to catch for her family. She figured she could share some food with Bulma since her family is going through the same thing.

* * *

The smell of food filled the house when Goku returned home from training the fighters. He noticed that the table seemed fuller than usual and noticed freshly cooked fish were on the plates; something he hadn't eaten for what felt like decades. He had tried to find fish on previous expeditions, but was unsuccessful. Gohan and Goten came in sometime later and stared at the additional food that was on the table. None of them dared touch it since it could easily have been an illusion and can vanish in an instant.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Sit down and dig in!" Chi-chi smiled. Goten and Gohan didn't waste time doing so, but Goku looked at his wife with concern written on his face. She noticed the look and felt the warring emotions flickering through their bond; she could sense it almost though it was her own. _'What's wrong?'_

'_Where did you find the fish at?'_ Goku questioned telepathically.

'_I'll tell you later in our secret spot,'_ Chi-chi smiled softly. _'You should get something to eat before the boys finish it.'_

Cautiously, he sat down and looked at the fish. Attentively, Chi-chi noticed that he was examining it almost though it was secretly drugged. Moments passed before he took a bite and when he started chewing it, she noticed the concern melt from his features and he ate the rest of it without any complaints. Chi-chi sat down at the table and ate what was on her small plate while the rest of the family polished off the plates.

"I hadn't had a good meal in years!" Gohan exclaimed happily.

"Mom, I've missed having fish!" Goten piped up.

"Shh!" Chi-chi warned. "Not so loud…"

"Oh," Goten looked at his mother with alarm. He had no idea that she had found the food at her own volition. She didn't tell the mayor or the citizens where she had found it and she wasn't going to tell her secret location either to anyone besides her husband.

There was a risk about finding food and not reporting it. The mayor decreed several weeks ago that a food source not reported to the citizens would jeopardize their survival and ultimately lead to those who keep it a secret to have their weekly rations revoked until he or she reveals the source. No one had dared try to go against this mandate, but now that Chi-chi had done so, she knew that their family could be punished for it if anyone learned of their windfall.

* * *

Underneath the pink-hued heavens, Chi-chi and Goku were standing in a clearing in the woods; a place they chose to meet for serious heart-to-heart conversations. Near the center was a jagged, gray stone that represented their marriage throughout the years. In this place, secrets are told and no one else knew of the location since it oversees the city and only those who were avid climbers could reach such a sacred place.

"Chi-chi," Goku began, "where did you find the fish at?"

"Not far from here," Chi-chi explained. "I was looking for the medicinal herbs when I found a brook teaming with fish."

"You could have reported it to the mayor."

"After what you said yesterday during the forum, I felt you and our sons deserved more than what we were given." It was no secret that they were treated no differently than the others, but it was truly unfair that some had openly expressed their anger and frustration against them.

"You're right, but people will start to wonder about how well-fed we are," Goku warned his wife.

"I'll only fish there every week then," Chi-chi reasoned.

"Promise?"

"Of course."

"Alright, I guess that means we'll have a bit of extra food to make it through the winter. Now then…" Goku looked up at the sky and noticed it was turning into a lavender hue, "we should go ahead and get back to town."

"Alright," Chi-chi smiled. She felt relieved that her husband agreed to go along with this, but still felt somewhat uncomfortable with having to hide it from the citizens they swore to protect.

* * *

Unlike the night before, the air was cool, so Chi-chi donned a deep brown camisole that covered her shoulders. They walked throughout the town and still saw no signs of any threats around them in the slightest. Before dawn, Chi-chi and Goku both sat down on the edge of a dilapidated fountain and held hands. Chi-chi was leaning against her husband and yawned tiredly from the expedition.

"Chi?" Goku questioned. "Do you think we'll ever find peace again?"

"What's wrong? Are you tired of fighting?" Chi-chi teased her husband. In the past, she knew that it was close to impossible to have him stay at home or even at her side.

"It's not that," Goku looked down at the ground. "I guess I just don't like the idea of fighting to survive on a daily basis. I usually like to fight just for the thrill, the fun, but to do it for others on a daily basis can make it seem like a never ending battle."

"You have a weird definition of fun," Chi-chi shook her head. She knew how he felt and had to agree with him. Fighting just to survive is a painful reminder of their efforts in the past. She had hoped that it had ended with Raizen, but now with the very threat being of human relations, they had no idea how to stop this from becoming a wide-spread epidemic.

"Do you think it was a good idea not searching for the Dragon Balls and wish for the damage to be undone?" Goku asked his wife. Both of them knew the miracles that the seven orbs could do to restore Earth to its former glory and everyone could have returned to their former lives.

"Goku, you know wishing this all away won't undo everything they went through," Chi-chi gently reminded her husband. "If we attempted to alter their memories of the past, they would be confused and wonder about the gap between; especially with everything that we would have to live with. I mean we could easily leave everyone and try to survive on our own, but… I guess it wouldn't be fair."

"Nothing in life is ever fair," Goku spoke sadly. He knew this from experience; especially with the memories of being enslaved by Raizen still haunting him. "I feel we owe them an apology for all that's happened."

"We had nothing to do with what happened," Chi-chi reminded her husband. She leaned her head against his shoulder; yawning sleepily from the exhaustion that was weighing her down. It felt like the night could last forever and they could stay like this without any complaints; without anyone threatening their livelihood.

"One day, I want to go home again," Goku confessed. Chi-chi knew that he was referring to the home they had lived in prior to all of these events.

"Me too, Goku. Me too," Chi-chi whispered with longing in her voice. She wanted to go home and raise Goten there; hopefully, Gohan and Videl will live with them and one day they will bless them with grandchildren to spoil. She wasn't getting any younger and she had noticed she had more gray hairs and the slight wrinkles developing on her skin compared to her husband who seemed like he hadn't aged a day.

* * *

It had been days since their arrival on Earth and Malvolia was growing increasingly frustrated at the lack of information her soldiers were unable to provide. She was currently reading the layouts on the screen about Earth when one of her most trusted advisors happened to walk into the throne room. He bowed with an elegant, yet prideful stride.

His hair was long and gold; contrasting against the pure white cloak he wore on his shoulders and fell to his waist bound in a rather simple ponytail. His silver-plated armor trimmed with obsidian covered his chest and went with the black spandex shirt he wore with his armor. His pants were plated with the same material that covered the top half of his body. His complexion was darker than most Daza-jin and his deep cerulean eyes gazed at the floor of his queen. The mask he usually wore was currently off since she would usually refuse to answer anyone donning a mask unless given special permission. It was the ultimate sign of respect he could give her to be so unguarded.

"My queen, I had located a place where there are human survivors," the man spoke.

"Go on," Malvolia questioned. Her ruby-like eyes fell upon him with interest.

"From what my men were able to gather, these survivors speak of Raizen," the man continued.

"If this is true, then we are closer to him than I had anticipated," Malvolia spoke with arrogance in her voice. "Very good, I want you to lead an expedition and make contact with their leader. I will be willing to negotiate terms of partnership. Offer to protect them in exchange of their services, food, lodging, and whatever else you think would be of importance. They should open their doors to you if you give them an incentive."

"As you wish my queen," the man gracefully rose to his feet and began to leave the room.

"Oh, one more thing Nihil," Malvolia stopped the man. He turned to gaze at the woman before him with utmost respect. "I want you to bring me back one of these survivors."

"Do you have a preference my queen?" Nihil questioned

"Not really, the person can be old, young, man, woman, whatever," Malvolia replied. "I want to know what makes them tick and see if we can use them for our main objectives."

"As you command," Nihil answered and left the throne room.

"Raizen, in time, I will get my revenge and ensure your enemies are sent to your domain in hell," Malvolia stated.

* * *

The humid air seemed suffocating the next afternoon. Provisions were handed to the laborers who were in the fields tending to the crops. One woman fell suddenly with little warning result and a few nearby people to attend to her.

"Michele, are you alright?" One of the women asked.

"I felt dizzy, that's all," Michele answered.

"You should get some rest," another suggested.

"I'll be fine," Michele was already climbing back to her feet despite the concern on the other citizen's faces.

"We should take a break," Yamcha suggested as he landed upon the ground beside the gatherers. He and Vegeta were watching the villagers that day while Krillin and Eighteen were with the hunters. Usually, the protectors alternated their schedules to best suit the needs of the citizens, but since Goku and Chi-chi were now pulling an all-nighter to ensure Hope was protected, it seemed that they would have to overlap their watch a slight bit.

"Oh sure, give them a break," Vegeta scoffed at the idea. "We might as well just have the woman create some sort of machine that will do the work for these pitiful humans."

"Vegeta, you of all people should know that Bulma has limited resources of metal right now and even reusing some of it wouldn't produce the same quality work they can produce," Yamcha explained. There was another reason of course why Bulma probably didn't try to produce machines like she used to, but he decided not to delve too deep in the subject. After all, he was a fighter, not an engineer.

"What do you know? I've seen her recycle metal and copper," Vegeta shot back. "She should be able to make anything with it."

"She would if you didn't pressure her into fixing your fucking gravity chamber every single time it breaks down," Yamcha retorted. The tension between the two protectors was hot and cold to say the least. The citizens didn't question their argument and had retreated into the shade of the trees to drink water and snack on what food they were given earlier that day.

* * *

Children were heard playing as Cassie held her daughter's hands in her larger ones. She was helping the dark-haired girl walk when she noticed a shadow fall over her. Looking up, she saw a dark-haired man with a goatee standing there. Anger and sorrow were on her face and she picked up the child into her arms. She turned to leave.

"Is she my daughter?" the man questioned. The blonde-haired woman stopped and looked over her shoulder at the one who slept with her and left for another, younger woman. This was the man who cheated on her and he deserved no forgiveness.

"You weren't even in her life when you left me Michael," Cassie spoke with resentment in her voice. "Why do you care?"

"Look, I know I made a mistake when I left you, but…" Michael started to say.

"Bullshit! You left me and didn't consider how I felt!" Cassie turned fully, her form trembling. She managed to hold onto the child she raised alone. This man that stood there had no claim over her daughter; especially since he abandoned her.

"Can… is there a way we can start over?" Michael questioned.

"No, it's too late, I… I found someone else…" Cassie lied to the one she gave her heart and soul to years ago. She knew that he had done this to her before in the past before she wound up pregnant and she would be damned if she gave him a third chance. "I… I have to go…" Turning on heel, she began to walk away.

"Cas!" Michael called out, but she continued to storm away from him. "Damn, I was such an idiot…"

Cassie meanwhile continued to walk as far as her legs could carry her until she reached an alleyway. Slumping against a wall with her two-year old in her arms, she held the child close to her form. Tears ran down her cheeks unchecked while the child squirmed in her arms.

'_I… I have to be strong for Mica's sake,'_ Cassie thought while holding the child close to her. She had no one else in her life and she had to be there for her daughter no matter what.

* * *

Abandoned skyscrapers stood amidst the wreckage of a once great metropolis; its steel frames exposed from the wreckage and decay of time and past destruction. Within the ruins were survivors hunting for shelter, food and warmth. Unlike the citizens of Hope, these people were left forgotten, excluded and forced to survive on their own without protection.

"Hey Hank," one man questioned from the shadows.

"Yeah Phil?" Hank called back. He hair was a dusty orange and he wore a dirty plaid shirt and faded blue jeans. A dark hat covered his head in order to ensure that he could see among the debris without the sun's blaring light falling on his form.

"There's nothing here," Phil answered.

"Damn it," Hank growled. "I'm sure there's got to be food somewhere. I mean we had rations in holed up in here weeks ago."

"No, there's nothing left," Phil confirmed. "Even the shotgun shells are missing."

"Fuck," Hank cursed angrily. "We came all this way to find the rations we had and some jackass stole it from under our noses."

"Well, I guess we should check the traps in the woods next," Phil angrily resigned and came out from the building. He had graying hair and seemed to be a man in his late 50's. He was horribly thin and had a slight gait to his walk. He wore hunters clothes that had seen better days and his paled skin had wrinkles that seemed to define his cheekbones.

"Yeah, but I doubt we caught anything. The last few times we went in, all of our traps were sabotaged. I bet it's the work of those asshats again." Hank growled angrily at the thought.

"You mean that wannabe biker gang holed up in the woods stealing whatever they want and threatening our lives?"

"Bullshit!"

"Maybe we should go all in with guns blazing just to show those jackasses not to mess with us," Hank laughed with mirth. "It would be like the old days when me and my men were in the war."

"Oh God…"

"What? It would be awesome," Phil recommended. He knew he wasn't getting any younger and the thought of going down in a blaze of glory sounded better than dying like a coward.

"No, look…" Hank pointed directly ahead. On the horizon stood hundreds of soldiers preparing to come into the nearly abandoned city.

"Seems those sons of bitches are back," Phil grinned coldly. He had only a shotgun on him, but it would do as a weapon as long as he didn't waste any rounds.

"We should head back to the others," Hank spoke with trepidation in his voice.

"Nonsense, we'll never make it in time," Phil cocked the gun and aimed directly at the center of the line. "If you want to run like a coward, now's your chance."

"Phil!" Hank saw the dogged war veteran press himself against wall and fire the shotgun. For a moment, it looked like it would hit true, but instead, one of the soldiers' hands rose up and caught the bullet moments before it could make impact. A heavy crunch was heard and moments later, it opened to reveal the fragments of the bullet raining down to the ground in a harmless mess of debris. "Shit! We need to get the hell out of here! These guys can't be human!"

"Human or monster, I'm not going," Phil growled out and he aimed for another person. Before he could fire the gun again, a blonde, long-haired man appeared out of nowhere and crushed the barrel of the weapon with merely a touch. "What the bloody…?"

Those were the last words Phil said when his body was vaporized by an energy blast moments later. Hank backed away from where his friend had stood; fear filling his eyes while the blonde long-haired man straightened up and looked at him.

"If you don't want to die, come with me," Nihil extended his hand with an emotionless glare on his face.

* * *

Murmurs of exhaustion came from the citizens who came from the fields and forests after another day of back breaking labor. They hauled carts filled with vegetables and meat to be processed by the food handlers. For a generally large population, it was becoming harder to find enough to ensure the survival of everyone. Famine was a big issue and there were those who did not eat to the point that they died of starvation if disease didn't kill them first.

As of late, additional rations were put aside into food banks to ensure the survival of their second winter. The previous winter was a trying time and a third of the population had perished from illness or starvation. Mandates were hard pressed about bartering for rations since they were given a weekly supply. For the protectors, they were given the same amount, even those with alien blood.

Piccolo and Dende were the only exception to the rule since they only drank water and spent most of their time housed farther out from the city away from the others. The two Namekians were standing on the rooftop of their small home. While neither one of them needed shelter, it was greatly appreciated since both would need a place to meditate and rest their bodies for short amounts of time when they were not working hard to ensure the safety of citizens of Hope.

"Hey Piccolo," Dende asked out of the blue.

"What is it?" Piccolo questioned.

"I was wondering if it was alright to stay on Earth instead of returning to the Lookout," Dende questioned. The Guardian of Earth in the past had stayed upon the palace within the sky akin to a holy altar where many had not known his existence. Since becoming earthbound, he hadn't seen the world in the same way he had previously.

"You know if you were to die, your link to the Dragon Balls would be broken," Piccolo reminded the teenaged Namekian.

Since Raizen's invasion years ago, Piccolo had noticed that the soldiers were searching high and low for the Dragon Balls while they were enslaving people. What they also wanted at the time was the Namekian that controlled it since the evil Daza-jin's knowledge was well-versed on the subject of the mystical spheres. Thankfully, Eighteen was able to bring him to Earth safely, but she ended up sacrificing her life in order to ensure that Dende wasn't captured.

Krillin, who was already saddened by the loss of his young daughter, fell into a deep depression when his wife died as well. It took several weeks until he recovered from that loss. When they were revived, Krillin held onto Marron for the longest time while curled up next to his wife; apologizing for not being strong enough to save them both.

"I know, but I just feel like I'm not doing as much as I used to," Dende looked at the ground. "I am supposed to be watching over everyone, but how am I when I'm down here?"

"Dende," Piccolo looked up at the sky, "while I am only half of Kami, I know that your safety ranks higher than seeing everything going on. If worse comes to worse, I will protect you to my last breath to ensure you survive. We can't save everyone and we can only hope nothing bad threatens Earth."

"You're right," Dende looked over to the older Namekian. "I guess I was looking at everything from one angle…"

"The best we can do is ensuring everyone here adapts," Piccolo commented.

* * *

The ground was still warm from the blazing sunlight as Videl walked hand-in-hand with Gohan down the streets. They were carrying home items for their wedding that will take place in a month. It was something they felt could wait until the weather cooled off enough and since it was going on September, they decided to get married outside in a park. Both of them had marriage counseling and were already preparing to move into their own place shortly after their honeymoon.

"It's been rather quiet these past few days," Videl commented. Gohan knew what his fiancé was talking about: there had been no bandit attacks on the citizens as of late. It was still too early to tell if they were giving up or if they were planning to stage another attack when their guard was down.

"Yeah, I wonder when they're planning to strike next…" Gohan looked to his side and saw the beautiful woman next to him looking back.

"I was hoping any day outside of our wedding day," Videl confessed. "Last thing I want to do is fight in my wedding dress."

Gohan chuckled at the thought of his soon-to-be-wife plowing her foot into one of the bandit's faces; the skirt billowing behind her as the stiletto-style heel leaving its mark into his chin. "They would have to be _that_ stupid to try to ruin it."

"Yeah seriously," Videl agreed with him. "And Gohan?"

"What is it?" Gohan saw sadness flash in her eyes. They stopped walking and he turned his full attention to her.

"When we get married, I want to use it as an opportunity to resign from the protectors," Videl stated.

"Why?" Gohan looked at her in confusion when she blushed. "Are you alright Videl?"

"I'm fine, it's just… look, we're getting married soon and after that, I won't have as much time to join you on the missions."

"What are you talking about?" Instead of saying anything more, Videl gently pulled his hand to her stomach. Concerned about the silence, he tried to read her, but he was only more surprised when she grew angry.

"Are you that dense Gohan? We're going to have a baby!" Videl finally yelled out the answer. _'Well, eventually...'_ She mentally thought. She wasn't pregnant yet, but she knew that she would be in due time.

"A… a baby?" Gohan's look of surprise turned into joy and he lifted her off the ground and spun her around. "We're going to have a baby!"

"G-Gohan!" Videl hadn't expected this reaction from her soon-to-be-husband in the slightest. He was almost like a child who received a puppy and was eagerly showing it off to the world.

* * *

While one couple celebrated their joyous plans of marriage and family, another couple deals with the hardships of survival and the demands the city had placed upon them. Vegeta was finishing his shower when he noticed Bulma tinkering with yet another prototype to prolong food storage for months. The Saiya-jin prince noted that she looked more tired than usual and walked over to her.

"Woman, call it a night," Vegeta told Bulma. The female was startled by his voice and turned around with anger on her face.

"I would, but the longer I take on developing this, the fewer chances we will have at preserving food," Bulma retorted.

"We've survived worse," Vegeta reminded his mate. "After all, you've been at it since I left this morning."

"I would be doing much better if I had a team of scientists like I used to."

"It's that bastard mayor's fault he reassigned them to do some other remedial tasks like babysitting or yard work."

"I don't agree with Mayor Ryan's plans either, but if it's keeping us alive and out of trouble, we should be grateful for all he's doing for us." Bulma turned to look over the blue prints again, but Vegeta immediately picked her up from the desk she had been hunched over for hours. "Hey! Let me down Vegeta!"

"You can work more on it tomorrow," Vegeta carried her over his right shoulder. The heiress pounded on his back to no avail while he walked to his room and opened the bedroom door. "Right now, you need your sleep and I won't take no for an answer." He dropped her onto the bed and she began to rise, but he entrapped her under his muscular form.

"You're so stubborn!" Bulma yelled at him angrily.

"That makes two of us," Vegeta replied. "I just hope the brat you're carrying doesn't get it from you."

"What?" Bulma was startled by the revelation. She had noticed that she was putting on weight, but hadn't made the connection. "How long have you known?"

"For about four months now," Vegeta confirmed.

"I… I had no idea I was pregnant again…" Bulma touched her stomach. The last time she had been pregnant was when the warriors were training for the androids that threatened Earth. She was surprised that she could still become pregnant.

"What do you think us having unprotected sex would bring?" Vegeta questioned with a raised eyebrow. Bulma shoved him gently, but didn't make any attempt to escape. "Sleep woman. I want our next brood to be strong."

"Fine, you win. Goodnight your highness," Bulma yawned and rolled over onto her side. It didn't take her long to fall asleep. Vegeta gently moved her hair out of her face. He had rarely shown his mate any signs of affection, but when he did, they were so minute that he only did this when she was asleep or in the throes of passion.

* * *

"Another night…" Chi-chi pulled the shawl upon her shoulders. Goku was waiting for her at the doorway of their home.

"Yeah, but I won't be able to see tonight," Goku admitted. He was wearing a blindfold and it only took her a moment to realize why.

"Oh, I forgot that the full moon's up in the sky tonight," Chi-chi noticed how tense her husband was. He did not wish to transform out of fear of destroying the city and possibly killing all of the people within it; especially since he had no control over it. The last and only time he had done so was when he fought against Raizen and he confessed to her months later that he had nearly killed her in the process. "Will you be able to walk around like that all night?"

"I'm fine, I can still sense you," Goku reassured. "You'll just have to lead the way tonight."

Chi-chi smiled softly at the thought of guiding him blindly through the night. She gently intertwined her hand in his and led him out the doorway.

"Come on, we should get started," Chi-chi spoke softly. Together throughout the night, they walked hand-in-hand with one another for most of the walk.

Despite the blindfold, Goku could still feel the moon's light hitting his body; the carnal lust whispering in his mind the sweet, tempting offers to surrender to the hypnotic lull the large celestial object had to offer. Yet, the Earth-raised Saiya-jin did not cave to such a false promise that the Oozaru sleeping within his body yearned for. He knew deep inside if he followed through with such an act, he could never forgive himself if he killed anyone, even Chi-chi. His resistance wasn't without its repercussions.

"Goku, you're sweating heavily," Chi-chi wiped his brow. "If you want to go back to the house and out of the moonlight, then I don't mind."

"It will be fine," Goku responded in a gruff voice. It startled her a bit when she heard how much deeper it sounded than usual. The urge to transform was powerful, but he did not wish to leave his wife alone in the dark. He wouldn't surrender and transform or leave her to walk the streets alone; a part of him felt protective of her for some reason and he didn't know why. "I'll manage."

The long hours felt like an eternity of resistance on the Earth-raised Saiya-jin's part, but soon, the urges subsided and he felt the barbaric creature within fade away. Chi-chi led him to a broken wall where they sat on it together.

"You were really trying hard not to transform weren't you?" Chi-chi spoke with awe in her voice.

"I was… did I scare you?" Goku asked.

"A little," Chi-chi admitted. She kicked her legs a bit and leaned back; her arms taking the weight while she lazily stretched. "I will confess though that for a bit, you were going to change without even looking at the moon."

"I thought I was too," Goku confessed. "But at least I fought the urge to tear off the blindfold."

"You should try transforming," Chi-chi spoke out of the blue.

"What? Why?" Goku was alarmed. Why would she ask him to do such a thing?

"Your resistance from not giving into that form seems like you're in pain," Chi-chi reasoned. "Maybe one night, you should just give in…"

Goku was quiet. He recalled being helpless when he transformed the last time and fought against the bestial instincts in order to protect her. He had no idea if he would be able to do it again effectively since he hadn't attempted to do it in over two years. He felt Chi-chi's hands behind his head and she removed the blindfold. Alarmed, he turned his head away, but noticed that the moon was no longer in the sky. Instead, he saw an orange glow on the horizon.

"You could have warned me first," Goku pouted.

"Sorry, I just wanted to see the sunrise with you," Chi-chi apologized.

"We have seen the sunrise every morning Chi." Goku admitted. Still, he couldn't help but forgive his wife.

"I know, but every night, I worry I might not see another one with you." Chi-chi spoke with dread in her voice.

"Why do you say that?" Goku saw the sad smile on her face.

"Don't you get it? We're fighting to survive each day and I'm afraid I might not see another morning with you," Chi-chi confessed her worst fears. The Earth-raised Saiya-jin noticed how pale she looked and the sweat on her brow. She pitched forward suddenly without warning.

"Chi-chi!" Goku quickly caught her and noticed that she had lost consciousness. He had no idea what happened to her, but he knew she wasn't doing well. Her body was burning up. Jumping off the wall, he ran back into the city to a doctor. He hated the idea of losing his wife and his fear of needles, but this was his wife! He couldn't be afraid at a time like this. _'Hang in there Chi-chi! I won't let you die!'_

_**To Be Continued…**_


End file.
